HAITIAN JUNTA LETS FORMER POLICE CHIEF LEAVE

By MARLISE SIMONS, Special to the New York Times

Published: February 25, 1986

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Feb. 24—
The new ruling junta of Haiti has permitted the former head of the secret police, one of the country's most feared men, to leave for political asylum in Brazil.

The move, bitterly resented by Haitians, is likely to affect the credibility of the Government, which has already been criticized because of the high number of officials of the deposed Duvalier regime in its ranks.

Escorted by soldiers and policemen, the police chief, Col. Albert Pierre, and his wife boarded a private Lear jet for Panama on Sunday night. A spokesman at the Brazilian Embassy said Colonel Pierre had been granted political asylum in Brazil.

The spokesman added the the colonel had sought asylum at the embassy here on Feb. 9, two days after President Jean-Claude Duvalier fled to France. Other reports suggested that the colonel had first fled to the Venezuelan Embassy. Haitians Express Anger

The 50-year-old Colonel Pierre, widely known here by his nickname, Ti Boule, or Little Fireball, has held various key posts and long directed the secret police, which is responsible for the detention and interrogation of people accused of political offenses. During the close-to-absolute rule of the Duvalier Government, a political offense could mean merely criticizing the Government or organizing an opposition group.

Former political prisoners have testified that they were interrogated and tortured by Colonel Pierre at the notorious Dessalines Barracks, the police headquarters and prison in the center of Port-au-Prince. Many unconfirmed reports have held Colonel Pierre responsible for the deaths of prisoners.

As news of his departure spread quickly today, Haitians seemed incredulous and furious. ''This action has generated more anger than anything we have seen since Duvalier left,'' a foreign diplomat here said. ''There is a lot of evidence that he was involved in unsavory business.''

''We don't understand how they could let him go,'' said Alexandre Ayard, a leader of the small Haitian Christian Democratic Party, whose members have often been persecuted by the political police. ''It is irresponsible. That man is guilty of atrocious crimes. He tortured and killed.'' Journalist Planned Complaint

The military-dominated junta has said that it has no plans to prosecute members of the former Duvalier regime for human rights offenses but that it will entertain complaints filed by individuals. Last week Gabriel Herard, a journalist for the weekly Petit Samedi Soir, said he had informed the Minister of Justice, Gerard Gourgue, that he would begin proceedings against the colonel. Mr. Herard said he had been mistreated by Colonel Pierre.

Several Haitians said today that they believed the departure of Colonel Pierre was embarrassing for Mr. Gourgue, who before the fall of the Duvalier regime headed the Haitian League for Human Rights and who is now a member of the ruling junta.

Asked by reporters today why Brazil, a democracy, had decided to give asylum to the notorious police chief, the Brazilian Ambassador here appeared to allude to reports that members of Duvalier's militia and police have been lynched by angry mobs over the past two weeks.

''Brazil grants refuge if a person's life is in danger,'' the Ambassador, Paulo Frassinetti Pinco, said. ''This was a chief of police of the old regime and clearly he was in danger. Haiti granted him permission to leave, so we had no reason not to let him go.''